


Across the Peaceful Sea Part One: Grave Deceptions

by EnigmaticErmine (Halo381)



Series: Across the Peaceful Sea [1]
Category: Sword Art Online (Anime & Manga), ソードアート・オンライン - 川原礫 | Sword Art Online - Kawahara Reki
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fantasy, Gen, MMORPGs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:33:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23870125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Halo381/pseuds/EnigmaticErmine
Summary: Everyone knows how the SAO incident went down in Japan. Ten thousand players were trapped in Aincrad, and on the seventy-sixth floor, after beating the floor boss, a player named Kirito discovered that the creator of the game and it’s final boss, Akihiko Kayaba, had been disguising himself as a player the whole time. The two did battle, and upon slaying Kayaba, Kirito cleared the Japan server and saved a little over seven thousand people.There were two servers for Sword Art Online, however. One in Japan, and one in America. While the Japanese server was freed, the American one remained silent, shut off from the prying eyes of the public. On the day of launch, thirty thousand players took to the floors of Aincrad in America. This, is their story.
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Female Character, Original Female Character/Original Male Character, Original Male Character/Original Male Character
Series: Across the Peaceful Sea [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1720270
Kudos: 2





	1. Link Start!

**Author's Note:**

> Firstly, I'd like to make it clear that I have no regular posting schedule. Sometimes you'll get a new chapter the same or next day. Sometimes you'll have to wait a week or two. But the story will progress until either the whole thing is finished or I die, make no mistake. I have seen too many abandoned projects in my lifetime to be satisfied with leaving this unfinished. 
> 
> Secondly, I'd like to note that I will not be using characters from the anime/light novel/manga for this. All of them are trapped on the Japanese server and thusly unimportant to this story.
> 
> And thirdly, if you'd like an OC of yours to be featured in the story, whether as a supporting character or a recurring one, ask. You are not guaranteed to have your request granted, and by submitting said request, you give me free reign to alter their personality for the purposes of said story. They can die, they can have bad things happen to them, and I will not give them any special treatment over other characters, even if I adore them. I will try to do them justice, nevertheless.

###  **Chapter One: Link Start!**

_Taptaptaptaptap……_

I sprinted down an alleyway with reckless abandon, weaving in between traffic and dodging other pedestrians as I raced the crowd behind me. In what would normally be a peaceful, buzzing town, the only sound I could hear was the thundering of footsteps behind me; tens, no, hundreds of players chasing and racing to be the first, blades out and at the ready. I was the only one that ran with my sword sheathed, and thus I was the fastest. Well, second fastest. 

_Drumdrumdrumdrumdrum…..!_

Turn left, then hook a sharp right! Duck beneath a tall NPC, shove a shorter one aside, turn one last corner and there it was; the town limits. Immediately beyond it, I could see mobs; monsters meant for us to kill. The horde behind me rounded the corner, and they saw too. I poured on speed; I would not be beaten. Two-hundred meters, twenty seconds. Though the faster individuals in the crowd were able to pull ahead with the open space in front of them, I was faster by far. The first mob grew closer in my vision; a wolf, probably of the hostile variety. I put my hand on the hilt of my blade as I approached; this would end swiftly.

Ahead of me was a lone runner, sprinting fast as he could. I was faster though; in no time at all I had caught up to him, practically stepping on his heels as he ran. He blocked the view of the wolf in front of me, but no matter; I’d pass him in just one moment, and dice it up right before his very eyes. And then, out of nowhere, he juked; sidestepped to the left and pivoted on his heel, spinning. My eyes followed him, and I didn’t see the wolf pouncing where he had just stood until it had impacted my chest.

In the time that it took for me to hit the ground, the other runner drew his blade mid-spin and passed it cleanly through the neck of my foe, felling it in a single strike. It exploded into a million crystalline bits, fading into nothingness, and he grinned in triumph as the others all stopped, crestfallen. I looked at the name that hovered above his head; "BiggerN’Texas” was his username.

Texas had just gotten the first mob kill in the entire game. And soon after he had the second. Then the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth. The man went on a spree, slaying creatures in front of the gathered players because he could. They all had wanted the first kill, but he had taken it from them, and instantly earned himself the spot of top dog. Everyone watched as he continued to kill wolves, equal parts discouraged and awestruck. Texas moved with the flow of battle like water, his blade flickering out like a tongue of steel and ending another existence with each lick.

Of course, not everyone was satisfied just letting him have his fun. One person rushed out from the group and boldly stole a kill from Texas. Then another ran out to kill wolves. And one by one, the group dispersed, many venturing out into the wild to explore the world and discover new things. The others walked back into town, possibly going to complete the tutorial that they’d ignored, or get a better sense of what the town was like. In the end, only Texas and I were left in that field. I stared at him as he sheathed his sword, apparently satisfied with his work, and turned around to walk back.

He made straight for me. For a moment I thought he would gloat in my face, but instead he held out his hand. I accepted it graciously and allowed myself to be pulled to my feet, dusting off my pants even though I didn’t need to. I looked up to regard Texas, and found that he was glancing above my head, at my username.  
“Seraphina, huh? As in an angel?”

I smiled brightly at him, “Well, you catch on quickly.”

“Random facts are kind of my forte…” he responded, looking my character up and down. I’d designed her for the part; her hair was so golden it was almost iridescent, and her eyes matched. Couple that with porcelain skin and soft features and I looked like a doll. A very pretty doll.

Texas didn’t remark upon my appearance, however, instead asking, “How good are you with a sword? Ever used one in real life?”

“Er, no? I mean, who has? It’s not exactly a common hobby.”

“I have.” he replied to me with a grin. The whites of his teeth contrasted with his dark brown skin, and his eyes were a peculiar green color. Even though we were in a virtual world, I could swear he had the lines around his eyes that suggested he smiled a lot.

I didn’t have a reply for him, so Texas continued, “Well, you’re fast, and I’ve got no friends around here yet. So, why don’t we be friends and go explore a bit? I can teach you how to use that sword along the way; it’s a bit more complex than ‘just swinging it around’.”

“I…….” didn’t know what to say. I’d never been great at making friends, but suddenly some guy with godlike sword skills comes up to me and asks if we can be buddies, and even offers to train me? Maybe my avatar had more of an effect on him than I thought. Most games were male dominated, it only made sense to be a beautiful woman. The pathway to my success would be paved willingly by dozens of thirsty men. It was the best kind of power fantasy.

“I accept.” was what I eventually settled on. A bit lame, but it got the point across. He thrusted his head in a nondescript direction and I followed along, idly checking my HUD. I glanced up in the top right corner; a little red dot was still beeping. I was still recording. We travelled back into the town, through the back alleys. I noted the ease with which Texas navigated the area; he seemed to know this town intimately.

“You’re a beta tester.” I said. It wasn’t a question or an accusation, but a statement.

Texas nodded his head, “That I am. You guessed it because I know the Town of Beginnings like the back of my hand, didn’t you?”

I was stunned; Tex was an astoundingly perceptive person. Either that, or great at guessing, but the way he held himself suggested the former. He observed everything, his eyes continuously roaming. They took in the cobbled pavers beneath our feet, the smoothed stone walls of town buildings, each and every NPC we passed, and of course the wares they sold, if any. For a moment I wondered if this place really was a safezone; the way he kept watch was as though he expected trouble.

“Don’t mind me, we’re still safe here.” Texas said, demonstrating his astuteness yet again. He was really starting to grow on me. He struck me as a listener, the type to actually pay attention and engage when you speak, or that knows when you’re feeling down, even if you don’t say anything.

We eventually came to a square, a small one tucked away from all the hustle and bustle of the main town area. There were no players here, and the NPCs kept to the edges of the square, which left a large open area in the middle. I could see where this was going. I stopped on one side of the square and Texas stopped in the center, turning about to face me. We both drew our swords; he waited patiently while I swung mine experimentally to get a feel for it.

Then I settled into a stance. Texas didn’t move, except to beckon me forwards with his off hand. I wasn’t one to disappoint, so I sprinted towards him. As I approached I brought my blade up and slashed downwards in an overhead strike. He brought his up to meet mine and we clashed blades for only a moment, before he swept himself to the side. My momentum carried me forwards, and he drew his blade across my flank. I couldn’t help but yelp; that _**hurt!!!**_. I panicked, checked my side for a lasting mark, and then double checked that my health bar hadn’t gone down.

“Safezone keeps you from taking damage and diminishes pain, but it doesn’t get rid of pain entirely.” Tex explained, putting a few steps between us. I glared in his direction and came at him again, this time with a thrust; he turned my blade and jabbed me in the stomach with the hilt of his, before slashing me from shoulder to hip while I was doubled over. Tex made as though to step away but I swung at him furiously, blade glowing with a ruthless white light. He blocked the strike and held his ground, locking blades with me. I pushed against him, but he shoved me back with ease. I didn’t even notice him hook his foot around mine, and before I knew it I was tumbling.

I instinctively twisted as I fell, trying to break the fall with my hands. When I had finally hit the ground and looked up, I saw the point of a blade a hair's breadth from my eyes, and behind it a young man with a thoughtful expression upon his face. He wasn’t gloating, or smug, he simply appeared to be calculating something. If I had to guess, it was my skill level.

He didn’t take his blade away or offer to help me up. Instead, he spoke while holding me at sword point, “Two things: firstly, that was a Sword Skill, which is sort of a built in way of attacking in game. They deal extra damage to the target than just swinging at them normally. Secondly, never lock blades with someone taller than you, or in a higher weight class than you; they can leverage your weight better than you can leverage theirs. It is better to parry their strikes, or dodge them alltog-”

I interrupted him by batting his blade out of the way with my own and jabbing the point into his chest triumphantly. With a huge, shiteating grin writ across my face, I exclaimed, “Well, let me teach you something; you talk too much!”

Slowly his expression changed, and I recognized the new one taking its place. It was the same expression I wore every time someone said I couldn’t do something just because I was a girl; competitiveness. Locking eyes with me, Texas slowly dislodged my blade from his pectoral, moving it off to the side. The grin hadn’t left my face, and one started forming on his, too.

“You sure you wanna do this?” he asked me petulantly.

I responded with equal petulance, “Oh, I’m certain.”

And thus the fighting resumed in earnest.


	2. Chapter 2: Stuck in the Middle with You.....

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our protagonist and her new friend go out to test themselves against some stronger foes, and find themselves caught in a bind when they turn out to be more numerous than previously anticipated.

###  **Chapter Two: Stuck in the Middle with You**

The midday sun glared down upon us, scorching the air as sounds of combat rang out throughout the small square. Texas and I had been beating one another down for hours, so long that the sun had risen from the dawn horizon and now sat directly above us. Despite the heat, despite the exertion, we weren’t drenched in sweat, and I certainly wasn’t tired. I could keep going for hours, days even. Texas looked like he was in equally good shape. He grinned wildly as he struck a high feint, and then slashed at my knees. I jumped the strike and slammed both of my feet into his chest, pushing off of him. 

I rolled as I impacted the ground, pushing to my feet without haste. No telling when the next attack would come- ah, but it looked like it wouldn’t. Tex lowered his sword across from me, breathing heavily. I placed a hand to my chest in surprise; I hadn’t realized how heavily I’d been breathing too. It was strange: there was no bodily fatigue. I was not tired, but naturally I’d been slavering for breath as though I’d just run a marathon.

“It’s strange, isn’t it? These aren’t real bodies; they don’t need food, or rest, but we still react as though they do. We’re putting strain on muscles that don’t exist. Why are we breathing heavily? In this world, we don’t need air.” And just like that, as though he were faking it all along, Tex stopped breathing heavily. After I thought about it, I stopped breathing heavily too. What he was saying made sense. These bodies had no lungs, no organs. It didn’t need air to drive its functions. Of course, no one could go without breathing; they’d forget to not breathe after a while. But it was interesting, holding my breath and finding that I could do so without limit.

That was enough shenanigans though. Texas sheathed his sword and put his hands on his hips, “You pick up tactics pretty quickly. You might be a natural at this.”

I waved off his praise, “Compared to you, who doesn’t even use sword skills? Nah, I’m still a rook.”

“Yeah, well you’re a damned good one. Most other beta testers couldn’t even keep up with me.”

I gave Texas a look, “You won eight out of ten matches.”

He shrugged, “Usually, against someone totally new to the game and to swordplay in general? I win ten out of ten matches. Anyways, that’s not what I wanted to talk about.”

Tex made a gesture with his right hand; he was opening his menu. A few moments later two messages popped up on my HUD. One was a friend request, which I accepted immediately. The other was a request to form a party. I opened my mouth to ask the obvious question, but as usual, Tex seemed a step ahead.

“Parties are basically temporary groups formed to hunt mobs. Theoretically you could use the system for just about anything involving small groups of people; max player count is six per party. You can keep the party going indefinitely, but it’s commonplace to just delete and create them as you need them.”

“Sooooo…..” I paused for a short moment, “You’re asking me to go kill mobs with you?”

Tex nodded.

“Is….. is this a date?”

He hesitated, not expecting that statement out of left field. It was refreshing, to get a one up on him. Kind of underhanded, sure, but it was a legitimate question.  
Texas replied with a tentative, “Yeeeesssss?”

I raised an eyebrow. He merely just shrugged, in a ‘I don’t know where you’re going with this, I’m just along for the ride’ kinda way. I shrugged back, couldn’t blame him. When was the last time someone considered killing monsters a romantic outing? It wasn’t, and that knowledge sort of eased the sudden tension between the two of us. 

We came back to the edge of the town, at the same exact spot that Texas had gotten the first mob kill in the game a few hours earlier. Gosh, had it really been only a few hours ago? I squinted as I peered high at the sun above us, wondering where the time between then and now went. Tex brought me out of my reprieve, nudging me and gesturing towards a lonely wolf. The intent was clear, and I nodded my affirmation; it was time to put lessons learned to use.

I charged towards the beast, sword sheathed and mouth pressed into a tight line. The wolf noticed me in no time, and as I drew within range, in crept down on its front paws, getting ready to pounce on me. As the creature leapt through the air, I came to a dead stop, drawing my sword and thrusting it forwards eagerly. It pierced the mob from maw to tail, before the wolf shattered into a million tiny crystals. Moments later a banner popped up on my HUD, congratulating me for my first kill and granting me XP. 

Tex walked slowly towards me, applauding, “Bravo, well done. I think you’re ready for the real game.”

“What, like we aren’t playing the real game right now?” I replied petulantly. Texas shook his head with a smirk on his face.

“These wolves are the weakest mobs in the entire game. Let’s take on something a bit more interesting, c’mon!” And then he was sprinting down the road, away from town. I paused; what was out there? What dangers awaited us beyond the safety of these walls? Tex’s figure was getting further and further away; it’d be hard to catch up with him at this rate…… So I threw caution to the wind, and ran to catch up. Wherever we went, it would be an adventure, and I was here for just that.

Fifteen minutes later and I found myself battling what could only be described as goblins. They were short, green, and crotchety. They were also very annoyingly numerous. Nine of them teamed up on just Texas and me. When the fight first began, I was worried; it was a bit daunting to go from fighting one enemy at a time to several. But, after trading blows a few times I realized that these things weren’t programmed to be incredibly bright. Rather than operating as a unit they fought as individuals, which made it no surprise when I picked one off from the cluster with a quick thrust through its clavicle. 

I grinned and called over my shoulder to Tex, “These guys aren’t so bad! I thought you were gonna give me some sort of challenge!” He didn’t respond, though I heard the sound of three creatures dying in quick succession. I also heard the sound of several more creatures spawning in.

Taking a quick glance around, I noted something like fifteen more goblins coming at us, and a bigger, meaner goblin standing in their midst. A hobgoblin, it seemed. I looked at the number by its healthbar; it was level five! Looking at the number by mine, I was only level one! I just had to open my big mouth, now we were really in a pickle.

Texas didn’t falter, though. If anything, he grinned, and launched himself into the tide of oncoming goblins. I struggled to pick off the five goblins that had been harassing us earlier, and by the time I was done he’d cut down almost three quarters of the approaching number. As the remaining goblins funnelled their way to their doom, Tex called out to me, “Take the hobgoblin! Go on, do it!”

That was easier said than done. I was by no means a coward, but the level difference made me pause. That, and the hob looked much more intimidating than it’s shorter cousins. I didn’t know how strong it was but…. I had to try, at least. So, I approached the beast; quickly at first, to close the distance, but when I got close I slowed down. It didn’t move, didn’t approach or back away; just stared at me. I tried an experimental swipe at it’s side; the thing batted away my strike with it’s sword, then it launched a counter-attack that caught me entirely by surprise. I jumped back with an extra cut to the forearm. 

It stung like a bitch, and that only made me angry. Roaring like some deranged animal, I charged forwards and put my full effort into bringing this creature down. Left, right, overhand, underhand, thrust, feint, slash. I put the brief lessons I learned earlier against Texas to use, gave the hobgoblin my undivided attention, and showed it what for.

Well, it showed me what for right back.

Perhaps it wasn’t so much that the creature was genuinely skilled, but rather that it’s level made it five times stronger than I. But for every three hits I landed on it, I got one in return. When I block my blade is roughly knocked aside with force I never imagined possible, and when I dodge the creature pursues me relentlessly. It was maddening, and it was terrifying. As my healthbar crept into the yellow zone, I grew desperate. So, without warning, I lifted a leg and kicked the mob. 

It stumbled. I pounced. Within moments my sword was shoved to the hilt up through it’s chin, and out the top of it’s dome. With a weak gurgle, the hobgoblin shattered to a million crystals, and my fight was over.


	3. Chapter 3: Storm before the Calm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seraphina has just gotten her first real taste of combat. But, Texas isn't out of the woods yet, and the two still have to get back to the Town of Beginnings. Would be a shame if something were to keep them......

###  **Chapter 3: The Storm before the Calm**

“Phina!” 

I turned on my heel, and looked upon the scene before me in horror. There was Tex, standing amidst not one, not two, but three hobgoblins. They were bullying him; he’d make an attack against one, then each of them would rush him almost simultaneously. He could deal with two at once, but the third always struck before he had a chance to disengage the other two. His health was creeping ever lower, well into the yellow zone. 

I didn’t think. I just rushed the nearest hobgoblin, one with it’s back to me, and ran it through with my blade. Roughly I jerked my sword out, and stabbed it again. And again, And again. I must’ve impaled it a dozen times before it died, but I didn’t think about that. The moment that one shattered, I set my sights on one of the other two and charged 

Tex seemed like he was doing well against these two. His health hadn’t gone down any from when I last checked, which was a relief. But neither had that of either of his foes. I changed the paradigm, rushing the nearest hobgoblin and slashing wildly at it. It slashed back at me, but I didn’t even think to parry the strike. Instead I dodged to the side; I didn’t avoid the attack entirely, but I avoided being cleaved in two, which was sure to be an instant KO. 

It felt like many minutes had passed, while this beast and I fought. We didn’t so much as trade blows as we simply savaged one another, not bothering to block strikes but instead seeking to inflict as much damage upon each other as possible. When it finally died, I didn’t even notice that my health had gone into the red. Instead I immediately turned to take on the final hobgoblin, only to find Tex standing where it was, the effect of shattering crystals fading around him. 

“Oh…. you killed…. phew, I thought you were a goner!” I exclaimed as I dropped to my knees. I was breathing like a horse that had been galloping for hours; Texas by comparison was at ease, completely calm. I promptly remembered to control my breathing, and gave him a once-over as he approached me. Red marks adorned his body, noting where he was struck by the mobs. Looking down at myself, I discovered I had many more than he. 

“Thanks for the assist; told you that you were something special.” He said, holding out a hand to help me to my feet. I accepted it graciously, before looking at the sword held in my other hand. 

“You don’t say….” I muttered, glancing at my healthbar. I’d killed three hobgoblins, but at what cost? The first seemed so daunting, so fearsome, but the other two….. I hadn’t thought about that at all. All I thought about was protecting my friend. Perhaps I was more brave than I’d normally admit. 

Texas glanced about, looking at our surroundings curiously. As he did so, congratulations popped up on my HUD; more XP. enough to level up, actually. Twice! A sound of surprise came from his lips, signalling that he’d gotten that XP too. I sheathed my sword with one hand and pulled open my menu with the other, eagerly looking through the options newly made available to me. 

Before I even opened my mouth to ask, Tex stalled me with a raised hand, “Whoa, Nelly. I’ll explain the whole system to you, rest assured, but first let’s get to someplace more safe. Mobs are on a spawn timer; our friends here will be back in a little bit.” 

I nodded, and followed Tex. We were going back towards the Town of Beginnings; it was a safezone, which was our best bet in having enough time to talk through everything. Of course, a journey could never be so simple. 

Not five minutes into our run back, Texas and I bumped into a group of other players. Three of them, all with their swords drawn. And they looked extremely displeased to see us. 

“Oh, what the- these are our hunting grounds, frack off!” one of them shouted, waving his sword in our direction. Tex and I came to a screeching halt, at the risk of impaling ourselves on these guys’ swords. 

I raised my hands up placatingly, “Now, now, no need to resort to violence here, we’re just passing through….” 

“Yeah, right, that’s what the other guys said, and what happened? They ran us off. I’m not buying your shit, so do me a favor and turn around. Go back where you came from.” one of the other players said. I half turned and looked back the way we came; the goblins and hobgoblins would surely respawn by the time we got back. We’d essentially be going back to our deaths. Maybe we could cut back a hundred meters and try to go around their “hunting grounds”? I looked to Texas for guidance. I was surprised to find him staring back at me- no, that wasn’t it. He was staring at my healthbar. His eyes narrowed, and his hand drifted ever so slightly towards the sword on his hip. 

He…. wasn’t thinking about killing them, was he? I knew that you respawned after dying in this game, but even so, wasn’t it strange to go about actually killing someone? Like, these guys wouldn’t actually attack us. I could see one of them trembling, and another was too tense. The one in the middle feigned sternness, but his expression betrayed him; he didn’t want to deal with us. Someone needed to diffuse this situation, fast. I opened my mouth to speak, but Tex beat me to the punch. 

“We came from the Town of Beginnings. Which happens to be that-a-way. Behind you.” He raised his arm to point behind the three other players, causing the jittery one to flinch. Quietly, as the three of them turned to look to where Tex had pointed, he whispered to me, “I’m a reenactor, we never get to go all out in real life for fear of hurting one another, but in the game….” 

I sighed. Boys, always so violent. “I’ve got your back.” I responded with a nod. Tex’s eyes flickered between the three of them briefly, before settling on his target. He darted forwards and fluidly drew his sword…. 

Perhaps it was instinct. Perhaps it was fear. But the tense one turned more slowly than his comrades, and that was the only reason he ever saw Tex’s attack coming. Still, my companion had gotten in three strikes before the other player could cry out, “Killiam, Killiam, help!” 

This “Killiam” was the one in the middle; apparently he was their leader, or at least the strongest of the bunch. He swung blindly for Tex’s back, but instead his blade met mine as I stepped between them. And thus two separate battles began, myself versus Killiam and Texas versus Killiam’s friend. We flowed and darted around one another, getting mixed up, fluidly fighting amidst the tangle of limbs and blades. The third man from Killiam’s party didn’t even know where to start; he was just as like to hit a friend as he was to hit a foe if he just stuck his blade in carelessly. 

Killiam’s blade swung in a wide arc to decapitate me. Texas blocked the strike almost offhandedly. I turned his opponent’s thrust away from him, and Killiam blocked his follow up strike. It was a mess of a fight, but it was beautiful. Tex parried a strike from the tense swordsman and threw a surprise haymaker out of nowhere, sending the man reeling into the jittery player who hadn’t joined the fight yet. 

“Bishop!” Killiam yelled, trying to disengage me to get to Texas. I put myself between them only for a moment, sliding my blade against his and stalling his strike, robbing it of any power it once had. When I stepped out of the way, Tex delivered an underhanded strike that ripped the blade from Killiam’s hands and sent it flying. He smoothly followed up, putting his blade to Killiam’s throat with a grin on his face. The other two were still trying to unravel themselves from one another, struggling to get up. I stepped in and held my blade close to their heads, smirking. 

“I suppose that’s checkmate then.” I said rather cockily, glancing over to Tex briefly. 

I took my eyes off them only for a moment. That moment was all it took; the jittery one surged upwards and thrusted his sword into my abdomen. Instinctively I put distance between us, kicking him solidly in the chest. He left his sword there as he fell back and the one named Bishop followed up after him, slicing at my face. While I blocked his sword, I couldn’t avoid it when he shot out his foot. 

His kick knocked me off balance, sent me to one knee. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Texas move to help, and then watched him fend off an attack from Killiam as the other man retrieved his sword. Meanwhile, the jittery swordsman pulled his sword from my gut and raised it high. Bishop came up on the other side and swung low. 

This was it; I’d be the first player killed in game. Decapitated by two players who were admittedly just defending themselves. And I’d have to live on with that shame for the rest of the time I played this game. This was karma at its finest, surely. As the pair swung for me, time seemed to slow down, and it was as though the moment dragged on endlessly. Was this what it was like when people died normally? Was this supposed to happen in the game? Why was this taking so long? Surely I hadn’t lagged? Did the game glitch? I glanced around... 

The world was on complete pause. 

And then a man stepped out of thin air and delivered unto us horror.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, his username is Killiam. Like William, but with a K.


	4. Not in Kansas Anymore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And thus, it begins...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yall, I am so sorry that this chapter has taken so long to post, and that it's so short. My life has been rather busy as of late and I'm really only getting time to write on the weekends. I can't promise the next one will come swiftly, but it is mostly written already, so keep an eye out for that.

##  **Chapter Four: Not in Kansas Anymore…**

It was as though he had stepped out from behind a curtain, only nothing was there. Perhaps a shimmer of light, but it was barely perceptible. What was visible was a man in red robes, with a hood over his head, casting shadows over his face. It was as though he appeared right in front of me, not an arm’s length away. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, and looked straight at me. And then he spoke.

“Welcome! I am Cybrex, your server admin, and I must say, it is my personal pleasure to give you all a proper welcome into Sword Art Online’s American server. We’ve spent quite a while preparing this place for you all, and I’m sure you’ll quite enjoy your time here. However, there are a few things I feel I should go over before I let you all loose in my castle.”

Cybrex held up a single finger, wagging it tantalizingly in front of my face, “First thing’s first; there are customer support tickets for things like bugs with the game. There are  _ also _ support tickets for problems you’re having with other players. By this I don’t mean someone’s been killing all your friends and stealing their things, I mean if they’re harassing you, sexually or otherwise. Upon entry, the player related to the ticket will be investigated and, pending the results of that investigation, punished.”

He took a breath, and then continued, “Another very important note is that there is built in emotional support for this here game. We have specially developed an A.I. for the specific purpose of cheering you lot up. I know, I know, this is a fantasy MMORPG, you came here to kill stuff, not get mental help. But, that leads me to my next, my final, my most important note that I highly recommend you all pay attention to. Your life may depend on it.”

I couldn’t see his face, but I could swear that Cybrex was grinning. I could hear the mirth in his voice as he delivered the proverbial death stroke, “As some of you may have noticed, the logout button is no longer present on your menus. I assure you that this is not a bug, but a feature. The logout mechanic for SAO has been disabled. Permanently. From this day, until you clear the final floor, you can never leave. You must stay here until the final boss is laid to rest.”  
The administrator turned, “Well, that’s all I had for you folks, I’ll be resuming time flow for you now-” Cybrex paused, comically mid-action. His arm was held out like he was pulling back a curtain, and one leg was raised like he was about to step through. He turned his head to address me again.  
“Wait! There is one more, teeny little thing that I almost forgot to mention.”

There was a long pause, for dramatic effect. And then, “If you die in this game, by any means. PvE, PvP, Suicide, getting unplugged in real life, all that lovely stuff? If you die in this game, you die in real life. Don’t believe me? A few of you have already noticed that your friends aren’t respawning. I wonder why?”  
And then he gave me a jovial wave, shouted, “Toodles!” and disappeared again. 

Without warning, time returned to normal speed.

Bishop and his friend were still mid-swing when time had stopped, and now their blades resumed their course towards my neck. Bishop stopped his strike a hair’s breadth from my jugular; the jittery one threw his entire body backwards and dropped his sword for fear of killing me. For a solid thirty seconds, everyone froze. It took a moment for our brains to come to terms with what we had just witnessed, and what had almost been committed. 

The five of us, wholeheartedly, had been trying to kill one another.

And now that meant murder. 

“You…… you all saw that just now too, right?” Bishop confirmed, glancing between the rest of us. The others nodded; I was still in shock. I’d been a split second away from death. Mere fractions of a millimeter from my throat was Bishop’s blade, which he gingerly moved away. If it were possible I’d surely have pissed myself. As it stood I couldn’t even form a proper sentence, my mouth just gaped open and shut like a fish.

The jittery guy looked at me, “Is she okay?”

“Would you be if you almost got killed, Psy?” Killiam said, walking over to me and offering his hand. I reached out to take it and noticed my own was shaking. When did that start? Tex walked over and took my other, and the pair of them pulled me to my feet. 

Tex spoke as he lifted me up, “I’m glad there were more of you than there were of us. I had only wanted to test my mettle without restraining myself; if I had known….”

Killiam stalled him with a hand, “I know, I know. There’s this sort of feeling you get when you’re fighting someone, y’know? You intimately know that person’s intentions. From you I felt joy. Like you were happy to be stretching your wings. It’s very different from feeling a killing intent.”

Texas didn’t reply, except for nodding. I was still catatonic; I didn’t move and I couldn’t speak. I was surprised I could even still stand. I reached for my companion, but Texas wasn’t noticing me; instead he was slowly looking at our surroundings, his expression growing more frustrated. The one called Psy looked over and asked, “What’s wrong with you?”

Tex gave him a look and muttered, “Goblins and hobs have a short respawn timer. We should probably leave before…”

As of on cue, dozens of little green Goblins spawned in, and a quarter as many hobgoblins. Tex finished with, “Before that happens…..”


End file.
